


Darker Than You Dreamt It

by Definitely_Lost



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, BAMF Loki (Marvel), Because lord help me I cannot tag, Dark Odin, Dark Thor, Hela does her best to be a Good Sis, Hurt, I mean very slow, Light Angst, Loki is a Good Bro (Marvel), Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Updates, Thor is a Good Bro (Marvel), dark asgard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:39:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27720127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Definitely_Lost/pseuds/Definitely_Lost
Summary: At the battle of Wakanda, when Thanos had the Stones and all seemed lost, Earth was saved by mysterious, god-like beings from another world. They were seen as saviors. Now, a year later, the Asgardians have returned to Earth. This time, though, they come as conquerors.Loki Odinson has tried all his life to live up to his father’s expectations, just like his older siblings. Odin has led Asgard on many conquests and he expects his children to follow in his footsteps. However, Loki is already on thin ice. Given the task of conquering Earth in the name of Asgard, he knows that if he fails this Odin won’t give him another chance to get back in his good graces. However, subjugating Earth has proved to be more of a challenge than anyone foresaw, and Loki is beginning to question whether he wants to continue on the path his father has set for him.--What if Odin had never decided to be a benevolent king? What if he and Hela continued their conquest of the Nine Realms with the help of Thor and Loki? However, the brothers aren’t conquerors at heart. They must find a way to stop their father and free themselves from his influence.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Loki & Thor (Marvel), Loki & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Stephen Strange
Comments: 5
Kudos: 48





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Ok ok, so for context, imagine the entire MCU happened before now except for all the parts involving Asgard. Don’t ask me how the first Avengers happened or how Thanos got the Space Stone because I don’t know. For the sake of this fic, everything has happened and it’s the end of Infinity War and everyone is on Earth in Wakanda, but the Asgardians have not entered the scene (nor the Guardians of the Galaxy).

Thanos held the machine in the air, his hand wrapped around what could be called its throat. He dug his fat fingers into Vision’s forehead and wrapped them around the stone. He was so close. _So close._

He tugged lightly. The stone was already partially removed from Vision’s body, so the wires snapped easily. The metal cracked around where the stone used to be, but Thanos pulled it until it came completely out. He tossed the useless hunk of metal and tissue, now dead, to the side. 

After examining the stone for a minute, he lowered it slowly to his left hand. He could feel the pull of the stones, each one wanting to be together with all its siblings. When the Mind Stone finally found its place in the Gauntlet, the energy of the combined stones ripped through Thanos’ arm like a tsunami. All at once he saw colors that he didn’t even know existed, and his veins glowed with power. He grunted and cried under the force of their combined might. 

When the ringing in his ears finally died down and his eyes could focus again, he took a few deep breaths to make sure he was still alive. To hold this kind of power in his hands, to hold all of the Infinity Stones, had never been done before. He was a legend. He would go down in history as the titan who saved the universe from itself. He would never die. 

He turned around to face the last three of the Avengers still conscious. Steve Rogers was crawling back to his feet taking in shaky breaths through what were probably broken ribs. He wore a determined grimace though he knew he was defeated. Stephen Strange, after spitting a mouthful of blood into the dirt at his feet, raised his shaking hands and readied a sparking spell, though he knew it was useless at this point. Tony Stark was barely standing, his suit damaged beyond repair. Bits of metal stuck out at awkward angles and some of it was probably stabbing Tony’s flesh. Still, the three of them faced the titan on a hopeless battlefield. 

Thanos sent them a devious grin. “You’ve lost, Stark. You’ve all lost. I am…” He raised his gloved hand, “Inevitable.” 

However, just as he was about to snap his fingers, a force like a comet came hurtling into the ground behind him. He whirled around to see what the disturbance could possibly be. It looked like a rainbow river had fallen from the sky, burning brightly and generating wind like a tornado ripping through the air. Thanos lifted his other hand to his eyes, the light of what he didn’t know was the Bifrost close to blinding him. 

From within the flaming rainbow, a weapon came hurtling out. It looked like an axe had had a child with a hammer, and it crackled with electricity as it sliced through the space between the Bifrost and Thanos. Though the titan raised his Gauntlet to stop the axe, it bowled right past the Stones to imbed itself in Thanos’ chest in a burst of light. 

At first, the pain didn’t register. He felt the metal blade slice through his armor and into his ribs, but he felt nothing. Perhaps it was the adrenaline. Perhaps it was the stones. Either way, Thanos simply put his hand to the axe in shock. 

From the rainbow stepped a figure. He was tall and broad, commanding an air of power. As he emerged out of the too-bright light and into the sun, the three standing heroes got a good look at him. His golden hair was cut short and the sides of his head were buzzed in a zig-zag pattern. He wore metal armor and a long red cloak over his shoulders, and he wore a black metal eyepatch over his right eye. His face was emotionless, steeled to cold watchfulness. He stepped forward slowly, like he wasn’t afraid to take his time despite Thanos still having the Stones in his hand. 

Thankfully, Thanos seemed to be sufficiently stunned. He had fallen to his knees first, then all the way backward and into the dust. He gasped for breath as the pain started to register itself in shock waves of lightning through his nerves. 

Tony, Steve, and Stephen also seemed to be stuck in place. Each was badly injured and in no condition to fight, but at this point it didn’t really look like they had to. This mysterious, lone man from a rainbow portal was taking care of it. 

He wasn’t alone for much longer. Two more figures emerged from the Bifrost, both cloaked in green. The taller was also male, with flowing black hair and a forest green cape. Instead of armor he wore tight black leather and a silver helmet with curving horns over his forehead. His face was similar to the man in red’s: emotionless, cold and observant. The third figure, however, stood out. She wore neither a cape nor armor, but a form-fitting suit of an indistinguishable material that both shone and absorbed the light around her. Her long, dark hair fell over her face, which was stained with black kohl. She boasted majestic cheekbones and a positively sadistic smile. Her aura was worse than the man in red’s. She seemed to take up the entire space. The moment she stepped out of the portal, the two men fell into step behind her like routine and watched as she strode up to Thanos, entirely unafraid. 

“Excuse me?” Tony called out with a breaking voice. Both Steve and Strange turned to him with a look that said ‘Do you have any idea what you are doing?’ Tony purposely ignored them, continuing. He had to know who these people were, and if they were a new threat. “Who are you people? Friend or foe?” 

He was promptly ignored. The woman stopped in front of Thanos and stomped an impressive heel on his chest, causing him to let out a breathy wheeze. She leaned down and pulled the hammer from his chest, letting forth a geyser of purple blood. She held it out to the man who had thrown it, saying offhandedly “Take that back, I’m not done with him yet.” As soon as he had taken back his hammer, the woman threw her arm out and a sharp, curved dagger appeared in her palm. Thanos gasped weakly just before the woman jabbed downward into his collarbone, then again into his chest, then again, then again, then again. She smiled in a way that could only be described as maniacally calculated, stabbing wildly but knowing exactly what she was doing. Thanos cried out, his legs flailing, desperately searching for purchase. He raised his hand once again to try and snap, but his muscles were seizing and all he could do was press two fingers together feebly. 

The man in red cleared his throat awkwardly over the sounds of stabbing and screaming. “Hela, the Gauntlet,” he said quietly, clearly not wanting to interrupt the woman. He had a deep, accented voice. 

Hela paused for a moment, looking to her left at the golden glove. “You’re absolutely right, Thor,” she said, before dropping the dagger and throwing out her arm again. This time, to the heroes’ surprise, she summoned a full-blown sword, longer than her own half-wingspan and wickedly jagged. She brought it down on Thanos’ shoulder, severing his arm from his body. Thanos cried out painfully as his arm hit the ground with a light puff. Hela, unfazed, grabbed the edge of the Gauntlet and shook it until the purple limb slipped out like a dead fish. As violet blood leached into the ground, she slapped the Gauntlet into Thor’s chest and said cheerfully, “Hold that for me, would you, darling?” As Thor hesitantly took the Gauntlet, Hela continued hacking at the screaming and thrashing titan. 

Thor, obviously somewhat disgusted by the Gauntlet, held it a distance away from him. “I don’t want it,” he protested to the woman. 

“Well then, don’t mind if I do,” said the third man, eagerly grabbing the Gauntlet from Thor. He examined it carefully, running his fingers over the glowing gems with a hungry look in his eyes. 

The three standing heroes had sunk to their knees in exhaustion, each wondering if what they were seeing was real. Hela finally raised her sword and thrust it down into Thanos’ heart, earning a strangled cry before he went still and exhaled his final breath. 

“Hela, we have to go,” Thor said impatiently, gesturing to the still-falling rainbow bridge. It had been running this whole time, stirring up a rather inconvenient wind and casting shadows on their faces. “Father is waiting.” 

Hela rolled her eyes. “I suppose you’re right. One last minute, I’ll be done soon.” 

“You’ve already killed the pathetic thing, sister, let’s just go,” the third man said. 

Hela held up a hand to silence what must have been her brothers, and left the sword impaled in Thanos’ chest. She twirled her fingers until a heavy, executioner-esque axe materialized, the blade black and sharp. She gripped the long handle with both hands and raised it above her head, only to bring it down on Thanos’ neck, chopping his head clean off with a grotesque _pop_. She left all three of the weapons she had used behind her as she led her brothers away. 

“Wait,” Tony called. “You didn’t answer me! Who are you?” 

Hela turned around to give him a sly wink, before calling out, “We’re the Asgardians, darling. You’ll know us soon enough.” 

With that, the three siblings and the Infinity Gauntlet disappeared into the flaming waterfall of color and vanished. The flow of light faded and crashed with a shattering sound, leaving an intricate scorch mark burned into the Earth. That, and the black metal weapons lying next to Thanos’ mangled corpse, were the only signs that the Asgardians had ever been there. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's the prologue! Hopefully you enjoyed even though nothing has really happened yet. It gets better, I promise. Let me know what you think thus far!


	2. A Lesson in Obedience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane Foster has concerns and Stephen Strange has a problem.

_ “Loki, what are you waiting for?” Odin asked impatiently. He sat upon his golden throne looking down at his adopted son, who was only a boy at the time. Loki shook where he stood, a curved knife in his hand. He looked at the dark elf before him, bound from head to toe with a fearful look in his eye. “Kill him, Loki,” Odin urged. “Do it now.”  _

_ “But why?” Loki asked. “He’s bound and defenseless. What good would killing him do?”  _

_ The rest of the Asgardian court watched with wide eyes, most of them expecting disaster. Moments like this, when the king demanded one of his children prove themselves, usually did not end well. Either they would be cleaning up blood later or they would be hiding in their respective chambers, trying to shut out the sounds of an angry father loudly reprimanding the child in question with shouts of rage.  _

_ Thor and Hela stood to Odin’s right, both of them with hands folded in front of them. Though Hela was an adult already, Thor was also still only about fifty years old, barely a child. He made eye contact with his brother, who grew more hesitant by the second.  _

_ “Need I remind you that the dark elves killed your mother?” Odin bellowed. It was true. While Odin had been leading an attack in an attempt to take over Svartalfheim, a party of the strongest dark elves had snuck into the Asgardian castle and murdered Frigga. Loki’s eyes were still red from crying, but Odin had already dragged him out of his room to test him.  _

_ “But it wasn’t this elf,” Loki protested. He was tired, and in mourning. He felt no need for revenge, he just wanted to rest and picture his mother’s arms around him. Spilling blood was the last thing he wanted. “Hela already killed the one who killed mother, beheaded him in front of everyone. I have nothing against this elf, and I’m not a killer.”  _

_ The elf looked up at Loki with tearful eyes, a golden muzzle preventing him from speaking. His expression, or what of it showed, was of gratitude but frightened anticipation.  _

_ Odin scoffed, quickly growing annoyed. “Not a killer, you say? You are a born killer, my son. Need I remind you that you were made on a chunk of ice floating through space, occupied by barbarians? I spared you from the flames and raised you as my own, though the rest of your people are slaves now. You are lucky, Loki, to have been given the opportunity to rise above your kin and become one of us. I gave you that opportunity. Do not make me regret my decision. You are my son now, Loki, and a son obeys his father. Kill the elf.”  _

_ “Father,” Thor piped up, “Loki doesn’t want to do this. He shouldn’t have to. Mother has just died, will you give us no time to mourn? Already we must resume the slaughter?”  _

_ “Be quiet, Thor,” Odin warned.  _

_ “If the elf must die, make me do it,” Thor continued anyway. “Loki is still young and he will learn, but spare him for now and I will do what you say. I will kill the elf and he can-” _

_ “Hela, control your brother,” Odin ordered. Hela slapped a hand over Thor’s mouth, muffling his qualms.  _

_ “Shh, little brother,” she said gently, and motioned for Loki to do as he was told.  _

_ Loki looked back down at the elf. He had closed his eyes, probably waiting for the inevitable slice of the dagger. Loki twirled the weapon, thinking, but knowing he would have to act fast. If he spared the elf and disobeyed his father, he would face severe punishment and the elf would die anyway. _ Killing him now, by your hand, will be a mercy, _ he thought.  _ Just do it. Everyone will be happier if you just do as you’re told. 

_ Loki squeezed his eyes shut and jabbed the knife down into the curve between elf’s neck and shoulder, knowing it would kill him instantly. There was gurgling and a spill of black blood, but the shudders stopped quickly and the desperate breathing quieted. When Loki dared open his eyes, pale skin and glassy eyes greeted him. He let go of the knife and let the body fall backwards with a thump against the gold-tiled floor.  _

_ Odin clapped once, inciting the rest of the court to disperse now that the deed was done. An unnamed servant moved forward to dispose of the body and mop up the blood that was beginning to form a puddle. Hela let go of Thor, who gave her an angry look before massaging his cheek where her nails had left light crescent marks. Hela strode forward to crouch in front of Loki and pat his head. His eyes never left the body of the elf he’d just killed.  _

_ “You did well, Loki,” Hela said. “Father is proud. We all are.”  _

_ Loki nodded halfheartedly, breathing heavily. He didn’t say another word for the rest of the day. It was the first of many lessons in a similar manner, the beginning of his road to becoming a killer. He learned over time: If he stayed silent and did as he was told, everything was better. Everything went faster and everyone was happier that way. So that’s exactly what he did.  _

* * *

Jane Foster’s flats made little clicking sounds as she walked briskly down the hallways of SHIELD’s executive office. She looked down and hugged her tablet to her chest, careful not to make eye contact with anyone. 

When she reached the meeting room she tried to open the door handle, but it was steadily locked. She sighed nervously and glanced around before deciding to wait outside until the director came out. She tugged the hem of her cardigan, realizing she probably should have worn something a little nicer to this. 

When the men finally started to emerge she received some weird looks, probably because she was sweating through her socks. However, when Nick Fury finally stepped out she took a deep breath and tapped on his shoulder. 

“Director Fury?” She asked. “Can we talk?” 

Fury looked her in the eyes. “Who are you?” 

“My name is Jane Foster, sir,” she said. “I sent you several emails? And called you? I think I sent letters too, but I don’t know if you receive those here-” 

As soon as he heard her name he rolled his eyes and started to walk away. “I know who you are, Miss Foster. How did you get in this building?” 

“I forged a badge, sir,” Jane said, regretting the words as soon as they left her mouth. She had to walk fast to keep up with his long strides, but she was determined to say her piece. “And that’s actually Doctor Foster. Please sir, my team and I have been doing research and we think that what we found is really very important-” 

“Miss Foster, no offense, but your team is a band of amateur scientists who live in a trailer in the desert. Now, I am trying to keep this entire planet safe, so get out of here before I call security.” 

“ _ Doctor _ Foster. Sir, if you read my emails, you know I am trying to do the exact same thing,” Jane insisted. “The Asgardians who visited us a year ago may have saved us from Thanos, but I don’t think they’re actually saviors.” She pulled up the video of the Asgardian visit on her tablet. Tony Stark’s helmet had a built in camera that had been activated during Thanos’ death, and the recording had gone viral once the aftermath was sorted out. People wanted to know who these aliens were who had so valiantly showed up to save the day at the last minute. The world had thanked the so-called Asgardians, but Jane and her friends were not entirely convinced. They had been researching the patterns seen on the Asgardian’s clothing and the mark they had scorched into the ground, and Darcy had managed to get her hands on the dagger that the one called Hela had pulled out of thin air. As far as they could tell, it scientifically didn’t exist. It wasn’t made of molecules or atoms, but it clearly existed by the fact that they could touch it and see it. As for the patterns, they showed signs similar to those of the viking symbols of war and death. It could be compared to similar figures all throughout ancient history. “They may not be as benevolent as everyone thinks. I know they saved half the universe and killed the bad guy and everything, but I think we should be more concerned about what they did after they stopped him. They took the Infinity Stones, and personally, I don’t think that they plan to store them for safekeeping. I mean, did you even see the woman? She was hacking at Thanos even after he was dead, does that sound like something a hero would do? She was laughing, sir. And people think she’s Earth’s guardian.” Jane lifted the tablet up so Fury could see and zoomed in on their faces. “Director Fury, I believe we should be making an effort to find them now before they return of their own will with intent less than heroic.” 

Fury stopped and turned around to face her. Jane didn’t realize it at first and almost ran into him. “Miss Foster-”

“Doctor,” she corrected yet again. 

“ _ Doctor _ Foster,” Fury amended, “I understand you have concerns, and the topic of the Asgardians is still a present issue in SHIELD’s files. But it does not take precedence over the missing Stark illusion tech or the whereabouts of the Winter Soldier and Captain America. Until the rest of the things on our priority list are taken care of, the Asgardians aren’t our concern. Now leave this base before we make you.” Fury entered his office and closed the door in Jane’s face before she could follow. 

“Sir…” She sighed frustratedly and let the tablet fall to her side. “I just don’t know how much time there is.” 

* * *

Stephen Strange was organizing and dusting artifacts in the Sanctum’s archive. It wasn’t a very fun job. This was normally Wong’s job, but at the moment Wong was on a self-given vacation to Fuji mountain. He would have preferred it if a lower-class master of mystic arts would have been able to do it, but if he was being perfectly honest, he didn’t trust any of the other wizards to do it. 

Just as he was inspecting the Axe of Angarrumus, a crashing noise echoed from the central hub of the Sanctums. It was where the doors to the other Sanctums all over the world connected, and usually crashing was normal when some of the wizards decided to try to be funny, but there was something about the nature of silence that followed this one in particular that triggered Strange’s suspicion. 

His cloak lifted his feet off the ground and sent him over the railing and into the hub. The circular room was large and bright, and each door was clear so as to allow visibility to other Sanctums. Strange looked through each one individually, trying to find the source of the conflict. Oddly, the windows to the other Sanctums had become opaque as if the other end had been clouded in shadow. More sounds of struggle were coming from the London Sanctum. 

Strange held up his hands and readied a fire spell. His power had been weaker since he had lost the Time Stone, but he still wore the empty Eye around his neck. It opened every time he cast a spell, and although it was powerless now it was still comforting to hear the click of its opening and know that it had chosen him. 

A figure emerged from the doorway to London. It took him a moment, but Strange recognized him as the third sibling from the Asgardian’s visit to Wakanda. He had lost the horned helmet and the cape, and now only wore a tight leather ensemble. His wavy black hair fell over his shoulders gracefully, and upon closer inspection Strange noticed his eyes were a fascinating shade of blue. He smiled at Strange, displaying shining white teeth. 

Strange didn’t know how to feel. On the one hand, this was one of the people who had saved half the universe from Thanos. On the other hand, all signs pointed to him having just destroyed the London Sanctum. The reddened tips of his fingers did not argue his case, nor the bloodied knives he held in either hand. 

“You,” Strange breathed. 

“Me,” the stranger agreed. 

“Who are you?” Strange and the Asgardian began circling each other, the large room the perfect shape for such an act. “How did you get in here? What do you want?” 

“I am Loki of Asgard,” he replied haughtily, “And I am burdened with glorious purpose.” 

“Glorious purpose, eh?” Strange held his spell in front of him almost as a shield against Loki. He didn’t know what the Asgardian meant by that, but his opinions of the so-called savior were changing by the second. They were not changing for the better. “What is that purpose? What does this Sanctum or the London one have to do with it?”

“Your Sanctums have been deemed a threat to Asgard’s rule,” Loki answered. 

“Asgard does not rule here,” Strange reasoned. 

“It does now.” Loki charged at Strange, angling his knives for the wizard’s knees. Strange finally cast his spell and his arms erupted in torrents of flame. However, as soon as they touched Loki he disappeared in a flash of green. A second later, he was behind Strange- or had he been there the whole time? 

Strange whirled around to try to block his attack, but Loki was a lot faster than he was. The knife missed the small of his back where it had been aimed and instead sliced open the skin over his left ribs. Strange grunted and let his cloak pull him away from the immediate danger while also feeling it wrap tightly around him to staunch the bleeding. He readied another spell. 

The lights of the hub began to dim. Loki was nowhere to be seen. Strange needed a location before he could cast this spell, so he decided to try for conversation. 

“The Infinity Stones,” he called into the growing darkness. “Why did you take them? Where are they?” 

“Are you asking if I have the stones?” Loki’s voice echoed from all around the room, crushing Strange’s hopes of pinpointing a location. “My father wields this Infinity Gauntlet in his own conquests. But I don’t need any stones to defeat you.” 

A hiss from below his feet sent Strange flying into the air, narrowly avoiding the two-inch fangs of a small green snake he hadn’t even noticed. If it hadn’t made a sound he doubted he would have had time to jump away. The snake was unfazed and slunk forward with the speed of a bullet, opening its mouth to strike again. Strange threw the spell in its direction waiting for it to wither and die under the touch of the magic. However, the snake, too, disappeared like a hologram in a green flash. 

“You are a petty sorcerer,” Loki’s voice said from behind Strange. He whirled around, ready to clock him in the jaw, but his fist met empty air. He also tugged at his slash wound in turning and winced, leaning on the wall to avoid dropping to his knees. “Your magic tricks are nothing compared to mine. I could defeat you with illusions alone.” 

“So why don’t you?” Strange cried. The lights had gone almost completely dim, and although there were windows all over the Sanctum it happened to be night at the time, so they did not offer any extra visibility. Strange cast a glowing spell and held it in his right palm, holding it up to scan the shadows. “If you could end me so easily, why am I still alive?” 

“Because I haven’t had a fight like this in ages,” Loki answered. “A real magical fight? Those are hard to come by. Usually it’s just whacking things with pointy objects and hitting each other. True battles are boring. I much prefer a quiet, simple tussle such as this.” 

Another wizard, Strange believed his name was Clark, came running into the hub, probably to investigate what all the commotion was about. He was still in training, but he was a fast learner. He held a glowing spell in his palm, too. “Dr. Strange!” He called. “What’s going on?” 

Strange motioned wildly for Clark to run. “Clark, come back with others. This guy isn’t a regular threat, we have to-” 

Strange was cut off by Clark’s sudden gasp as he stiffened. His body fell forward, revealing a knife buried in his spine.

Strange didn’t have time to mourn. Loki might think he was playing a game, but Strange was the master of this Sanctum and these people were his responsibility. He realized that fighting the Asgardian was pointless. He would lose. He was up against masterful illusions and shapeshifting, and he was already badly injured and losing visibility. His head was beginning to spin and the lack of light did nothing to improve his balance. 

He willed his cloak to pull him out of the room, hoping Loki wasn’t right behind him. Once he exited the hub he flew towards the dormitories where the others would be sleeping. 

“Running?” Loki’s voice was accompanied by the echoing sound of marching footsteps. They were armored. Loki wasn’t the only intruder in this Sanctum; he had brought armed forces with him, and they were close on Strange’s heels. 

He used his sling ring to make a portal to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and thrust it down the hallway behind him. He didn’t stop to watch its success or failure. He harnessed a bit of the Sanctum’s magic to teleport directly to the dormitory hallways. He banged on the doors of the sleeping wizards and shouted at the top of his lungs “Portal! Get out of here! Grab what you can and run! Rendezvous in, uh- the Piazza San Marco! Just get out!” He didn’t have time to check who woke up and heard him and who didn’t. If they were abandoning the Sanctum, he had one last thing he had to do. 

After going through each of the dormitory hallways he teleported to the entrance to the library. Inside were countless priceless texts with knowledge that could not be used for the wrong purposes. He didn’t know if any of the works would be valuable to the Asgardians who were quickly swarming each of the Sanctums, but he had to be sure. He began chanting while motioning with his hands, and sparking chains of metaphysical energy wove their way around the handles of the door. The spell was similar to the one he had once cast to protect the Time Stone in the Eye of Agamotto. It would serve the same purpose now. 

A hand on his shoulder tugged him backward and slammed him into the wall behind him just as he finished the spell. The back of his head was knocked against brick and he felt something in his shoulder crack. Loki stood in front of him, an iron grip holding him in place. A malicious smile stretched over Loki’s face and in his free hand he still held a dagger. “A valiant effort, but it doesn’t matter how many of you escape or how much knowledge you try to hide from us. We have conquered hundreds of worlds, and this one will be no different.” He pressed the blade against Strange’s cheek. “You see, this is what my people do. We offer our help to worlds in need. This place, this Earth? It cries out for guidance and protection. Asgard is the answer to that cry. You will see that. You all will.” 

“I’m sure you’re very good at what you do,” Strange choked out. “But we may not be so easily defeated.” 

He clapped his hands together in a last-ditch effort to get away. The force of the ensuing spell knocked Loki back a few steps, but it was enough time for Strange to open a small portal with his ring. He jumped through and closed it as he went, the circle coming to close and nearly taking off his own foot. He rolled across a tiled floor, trying to ignore the agony it sent up his side where he was still bleeding severely. When he finally came to stop rolling, he lay on his back and looked up at the bright ceiling, breathing heavily. 

“Hey, hey, Doc?” Tony Stark, who had been calmly sipping coffee while reading the news, got up from his workstation desk and rushed to crouch beside Strange. He inspected the wounded man quickly, assessing the damage, before he asked, “What the hell happened to you?” 

“We have a problem,” Strange gasped, before his consciousness finally faded to black and he let himself slip away into sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know Norse mythology exists but for the sake of this fic, let's just say that it doesn't except for what I say. I am the author and this is my decree. I have all the power. MUAHAHA. Anyways thanks for reading


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